The holidaze is over! Now I’m just playing catch up (really, just bookmarking cookie recipes for next year) and have a few recipes to share.

One of the things about being a vegetarian in the South is that you get used to a lot of recipes that call for bacon or salt pork. So I make up my own recipes and usually cheat with butter, onions, and salt. (For vegans, olive oil + onions + salt isn’t bad either.) Hoppin’ John is a pretty common New Year’s Day dish in the South and I was determined to make it, after making black eyed peas in other forms (namely, fritters with pepper jelly on the side- delish!).

I got a recipe from Edible Piedmont and modified it and I think it’s pretty good. The native Southerner in the house says so, too.

Vegetarian Hoppin’ John

2-3 TB butter

1 onion, diced

2 cups black eyed peas, soaked overnight (from our garden!)

4 cups vegetable broth (I used Imagine No-Chicken)

2 cups cooked brown rice (I made it in a rice cooker; you may choose to cook rice along with the beans)

salt and ground pepper

On med-high heat, melt the butter in a pot. Add the onions and cook until the onions look brown and have shrunk a bit (it should smell good). Pour in a little bit of broth and scrape the brown bits on the bottom. Add the black eyed peas and half of the broth and let simmer under low heat for about 30-45 minutes (until the beans are soft). If there is not enough liquid, feel free to add more broth as necessary. When the beans are done, add the cooked brown rice and any leftover broth and season with salt and ground pepper. Simmer for additional 10 minutes or so, and then serve with hot sauce. If you want, you may add some chopped scallions for garnish.